Prescription

Posted on 26 Sep 2014 @ 3:40pm by Lieutenant Olsam Mott & Lieutenant Tuula Voutilainen M.D.
Edited on on 26 Sep 2014 @ 4:02pm

1,038 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Episode 06 - Legend of Souls
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 3, Sickbay
Timeline: MD 07 - 1810 hrs

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Olsam leaned heavily against the work station near the door, looking a paler shade of blue. The initial flurry of activity had brought on a surge of adrenaline and excitement, reminding him of his days aboard the Hope and Tranquility, but now the adrenaline was long gone. He needed a sonic shower, a seven-course meal and a day or two of sleep.

Virtually everyone had finally cleared out of Sickbay, except for Lt. Cmdr. Mialin and Crewman Wyatt in the two biobeds and Petty Officer Hex recovering in the surgical ward. They were all sleeping quietly, peacefully, and a sense of calm settled over the relatively small room.

"Tuula," Olsam said, pushing against the workstation and heave himself upright. Something about his voice seemed too loud midst the quiet, so he dropped it to a near whisper. "Regardless of what others may think, you did well today."

"You mean it?" asked Tuula, lifting her head off of the workstation that the distraught doctor was resting it on, partly because she was tired but mostly to block out all the frustrations of the outside world. She was so embarrassed by the commmodore screaming at her, pointing a phaser at her, and worst of all, questioning her competence in front of over a dozen witnesses. "I thought... with Dr. Wylde... and then the Commodore and that security guard..."

"Old loyalties. You're new, I'm new...they're not. It's a difficult environment to walk into, especially when tensions are high. Medically, there were things I might have done differently in your place, but I've been trained in traumatology and practicing for...awhile. The circumstances didn't favor careful, thoughtful, methodical work, especially not for a relatively new doctor," Olsam said, giving a sympathetic smile. "There were lessons to be learned, but no one died. And no one would have died, regardless of Dr. Wylde's intervention."

"I just wish the others would see it that way," replied Tuula, in a glum voice. "The Commodore... she pointed a phaser at me and threatened to remove me. She... she can't do that, can she?"

"No," Olsam said harshly, grinding his teeth in irritation.

He had the urge to elaborate, but he hadn't spoken with Dr. Allyndra yet to devise a plan of action. But there was no mistake - there would be a plan of action. He'd be buried in a dry sea before he allowed someone to come thundering into Sickbay, brandishing their rank like a shield and pulling a weapon on a physician in the middle of carrying out her sworn duties, duties that held paramount above all else the phrase "do no harm." That there had been any indication to the contrary for some of the least qualified people on the ship was an insult to the Starfleet Medical Academy; him, as her mentor; and Tuula herself, who had earned her medical degree in the same manner as anyone else serving in the fleet.

The very thought of it made his blood boil, sending it rushing through capillaries near the surface of his skin and turning him a darker hue. He looked down and realized his grip on the computer console had grown so tight that his knuckles were turning midnight blue. A few deep, ragged breaths helped him calm back down; for Tuula's sake, he did his best to smile.

"Dr. Allyndra will handle the Commodore," he said flatly, stepping out from behind the console in the direction of Sickbay's relatively small medical supply closet. "How about a drink? I may, uh..." His eyes suddenly turned shifty. It was a gamble revealing his secret; he certainly didn't want anyone to think he was a lush. "I may keep a bottle of Bolian Beryl Bourbon behind a false panel in Medcart D. But be advised, under questioning, I'll deny it."

"Well, normally I wouldn't, but if you are prescribing me something to calm my nerves, who am I to argue?" Tuula smiled back at Mott, following him to the supply closet.

"Uh, yes, a prescription," Olsam said, grinning and nodding his head along with the ruse.

He opened the supply closet, somehow managed to squeeze into an impossibly small space and opened the fourth drawer down on Medcart D. His pudgy hand went to the back of the drawer and rummaged around until there was a click. When he removed his hand, a smooth glass bottle filled with a light blueish-green liquid came rolling out with it. He snatched it up, rummaged around in one of the cabinets until he found two Erlenmeyer flasks then headed back to the computer console.

"It's very sweet and very sour. I have no idea why they call it bourbon because it's nothing like that Terran bourbon," Olsam said, turning up his nose. "That stuff tastes like you're drinking a charred tree."

Tuula raised the flask to her nose, sampling the vapours before tasting the turquoise liquid. With alien drinks, you never knew what to expect, or if it was even drinkable. It had a pleasant sweet, fruity aroma. Tuula looked over her shoulder, checking to see if the coast was clear. Fortunately, all of the rest of the medical staff were either occupied or on their rest period.

"Here's to peace and quiet," she said, clinking her flask against Mott's. "May we get some in sickbay sometime," she added before downing the flask. At first taste it was sweet, almost too sweet. She'd learned the hard way in her academy days to avoid sweet blue drinks. Once the sweetness wore off, she was left with an overpoweringly sour aftertaste.

"Very fine, doctor, is that a single malt from the Isle of Lumbalott?"

Olsam lifted an eyebrow in surprise. "Have you been tending bar between shifts?"

"No," replied Tuula, shaking her head. "Let's just say that a good taste in drinks was literally my horrible ex-boyfriend's only redeeming quality."

Olsam grunted in reply but remained otherwise silent, content to assume the role of quiet drinking partner after a very long day at work...

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Lieutenant Olsam Mott, M.D.
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

&

Lieutenant (J.G.) Tuula Voutilainen, M.D.
Medical Officer
USS Galileo

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